The Oldies Thread

[Sadken]

View attachment 166072

….coke was a different thing back then.

They used to drop the coal straight into our back yard. I can still hear the sound of the shovel we used to bring it in & Chuck on the fire.

Mum on freezing cold mornings lighting the fire with a newspaper covering the front.

And fire lighters, what a lovely smell .

 

[Bluerover]

My Dad used to take great care setting the fire. Scrunched up newspaper, then chopped thin slices of timber on top. He would tear a few strips of paper and leave them hanging from the grate and they were then each lit. The scrunched paper would then light, followed by the chopped timber.

Only when this was well alight would he carefully put first small coals, then larger pieces.

No firelighters, although sometimes the newspaper trick held over the front was required to suck the oxygen in from below the grate.

Back then you could buy bags of slack with the coal. He used to put shovels of this in an old bucket, add some water so it was wet but not soaking, then when the fire had taken, he shovelled the slack in layers over the top.

No need to add any more coal for the rest of the night as the slack dried into a lovely hard crust that burnt slowlt but gave off great heat!! Great economizing at a time when things were tough (early 70s).

 

[Eggs]

My Dad used to take great care setting the fire. Scrunched up newspaper, then chopped thin slices of timber on top. He would tear a few strips of paper and leave them hanging from the grate and they were then each lit. The scrunched paper would then light, followed by the chopped timber.

Only when this was well alight would he carefully put first small coals, then larger pieces.

No firelighters, although sometimes the newspaper trick held over the front was required to suck the oxygen in from below the grate.

Back then you could buy bags of slack with the coal. He used to put shovels of this in an old bucket, add some water so it was wet but not soaking, then when the fire had taken, he shovelled the slack in layers over the top.

No need to add any more coal for the rest of the night as the slack dried into a lovely hard crust that burnt slowlt but gave off great heat!! Great economizing at a time when things were tough (early 70s).

….lovely post.

 

[chrismpw]

I'm feeling my age. I'm at a festival for the first time since all that covid shenanigans (helping set up, so I get in free ). Today I erected 25 flags on enormously long scaffold poles .... 4 of them twice as the gaffa turned up half way through with some lead weights that were supposed to be added to the flags. Kinell!

Now I'm nursing aching limbs and a disgruntled back, listening to the test match, sipping some wine and my peace is being ruined by deaf sound engineer repeatedly playing the same droning, booming monotone techno bass track at around 120dB rattling my van. Its not a techno festival ffs.

How old is too old for this? Is it bad form to set a fire under a loudspeaker stack?

 

[roydo]

I'm feeling my age. I'm at a festival for the first time since all that covid shenanigans (helping set up, so I get in free ). Today I erected 25 flags on enormously long scaffold poles .... 4 of them twice as the gaffa turned up half way through with some lead weights that were supposed to be added to the flags. Kinell!

Now I'm nursing aching limbs and a disgruntled back, listening to the test match, sipping some wine and my peace is being ruined by deaf sound engineer repeatedly playing the same droning, booming monotone techno bass track at around 120dB rattling my van. Its not a techno festival ffs.

How old is too old for this? Is it bad form to set a fire under a loudspeaker stack?

I have done some gentle weeding.

Feel fine.

 

[Gwladysover]

My Dad used to take great care setting the fire. Scrunched up newspaper, then chopped thin slices of timber on top. He would tear a few strips of paper and leave them hanging from the grate and they were then each lit. The scrunched paper would then light, followed by the chopped timber.

Only when this was well alight would he carefully put first small coals, then larger pieces.

No firelighters, although sometimes the newspaper trick held over the front was required to suck the oxygen in from below the grate.

Back then you could buy bags of slack with the coal. He used to put shovels of this in an old bucket, add some water so it was wet but not soaking, then when the fire had taken, he shovelled the slack in layers over the top.

No need to add any more coal for the rest of the night as the slack dried into a lovely hard crust that burnt slowlt but gave off great heat!! Great economizing at a time when things were tough (early 70s).

My Dad was a fireman on the railway and he would use a similar method when “banking” our coal fire. When the coal needed replenishing he would bank it starting at the back as he did at work, sometimes too enthusiastically setting fire to the chimney. lol

 

[Joey66]

My Dad used to take great care setting the fire. Scrunched up newspaper, then chopped thin slices of timber on top. He would tear a few strips of paper and leave them hanging from the grate and they were then each lit. The scrunched paper would then light, followed by the chopped timber.

Only when this was well alight would he carefully put first small coals, then larger pieces.

No firelighters, although sometimes the newspaper trick held over the front was required to suck the oxygen in from below the grate.

Back then you could buy bags of slack with the coal. He used to put shovels of this in an old bucket, add some water so it was wet but not soaking, then when the fire had taken, he shovelled the slack in layers over the top.

No need to add any more coal for the rest of the night as the slack dried into a lovely hard crust that burnt slowlt but gave off great heat!! Great economizing at a time when things were tough (early 70s).

Still our world - run 8 radiators plus all the hot water in the world ......Dunseley wrap around open fire bolier....

 

[Joey66]

Been far from from the madning crowd ride today .....pm .......

 

[chrismpw]

I'm feeling my age. I'm at a festival for the first time since all that covid shenanigans (helping set up, so I get in free ). Today I erected 25 flags on enormously long scaffold poles .... 4 of them twice as the gaffa turned up half way through with some lead weights that were supposed to be added to the flags. Kinell!

Now I'm nursing aching limbs and a disgruntled back, listening to the test match, sipping some wine and my peace is being ruined by deaf sound engineer repeatedly playing the same droning, booming monotone techno bass track at around 120dB rattling my van. Its not a techno festival ffs.

How old is too old for this? Is it bad form to set a fire under a loudspeaker stack?

Behold my work with flags!
Ahh geesh I'm going to have to go back to that red one!

 

[4737carlin]

My Dad used to take great care setting the fire. Scrunched up newspaper, then chopped thin slices of timber on top. He would tear a few strips of paper and leave them hanging from the grate and they were then each lit. The scrunched paper would then light, followed by the chopped timber.

Only when this was well alight would he carefully put first small coals, then larger pieces.

No firelighters, although sometimes the newspaper trick held over the front was required to suck the oxygen in from below the grate.

Back then you could buy bags of slack with the coal. He used to put shovels of this in an old bucket, add some water so it was wet but not soaking, then when the fire had taken, he shovelled the slack in layers over the top.

No need to add any more coal for the rest of the night as the slack dried into a lovely hard crust that burnt slowlt but gave off great heat!! Great economizing at a time when things were tough (early 70s).

My nan and Grandad had a coal fire out in Wales,i loved it and always wanted to have a go lighting it, he had it down to a fine art, i did try it a few times mostly in the warmer months late afternoon but even though i got it going a few times it never seemed t look and throw off the same warmth as when he did it

 

[Joey66]

My Dad was a fireman on the railway and he would use a similar method when “banking” our coal fire. When the coal needed replenishing he would bank it starting at the back as he did at work, sometimes too enthusiastically setting fire to the chimney. lol

When I accidentally do that the neighbourhood go mad ......never seen the like of it LOL

 

[Joey66]

I have done some gentle weeding.

Feel fine.

How are your plants doing?

 

[Joey66]

….lovely post.

We still do that......

 

[Sadken]

My Dad used to take great care setting the fire. Scrunched up newspaper, then chopped thin slices of timber on top. He would tear a few strips of paper and leave them hanging from the grate and they were then each lit. The scrunched paper would then light, followed by the chopped timber.

Only when this was well alight would he carefully put first small coals, then larger pieces.

No firelighters, although sometimes the newspaper trick held over the front was required to suck the oxygen in from below the grate.

Back then you could buy bags of slack with the coal. He used to put shovels of this in an old bucket, add some water so it was wet but not soaking, then when the fire had taken, he shovelled the slack in layers over the top.

No need to add any more coal for the rest of the night as the slack dried into a lovely hard crust that burnt slowlt but gave off great heat!! Great economizing at a time when things were tough (early 70s).

 

[Sadken]

The old news paper trick, that's when the echo had big pages just like the old news of the world. Used to like doing toast or crumpets on the fire with a big brass fork, health and safety my arse.